The present application claims the priority of commonly owned German patent application Serial No. 100 02 190.5 filed Jan. 19, 2000. The disclosure of the above-referenced German patent application, as well as that of each U.S. and foreign patent and patent application identified in the specification of the present application, is incorporated herein by reference.
The invention relates to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for manipulating closed and filled containers, and more particularly to improvements in methods of and in apparatus for automatically opening and emptying originally closed and at least partially filled containers, such as boxes, crates, cartons or the like, for arrays or other types of accumulations of discrete commodities. Examples of such commodities are filter rod sections, plain or filter cigarettes, cigars, cigarillos and/or other rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry.
Published Japanese patent applications Serial Nos. 56-52880 and 57-28640 disclose apparatus wherein opened cardboard boxes for piles or similar accumulations of parallel filter rod sections are placed onto a conveyor for delivery to an elevator. The latter lifts successive cartons into a pivotable dumping frame. The frame is pivoted upon receipt of an opened and still filled carton so that the contents of the carton are discharged by gravity flow. The freshly emptied carton is discharged from the frame, while it still remains in inverted position, and is caused to lie on a takeoff conveyor, such as a chute or slide, which transports the emptied carton to a selected destination.
A drawback of the above outlined prior proposals is that the manipulation of cartons takes up relatively long periods of time. This is attributable, in part, to the fact that the cartons must be opened at one or more locations ahead of the aforementioned conveyor and also to the fact that the evacuation of emptied cartons is complex, time-consuming and must be carried out in a relatively large part of a mass-producing plant.
An object of the invention is to provide a method which can be utilized to reliably and predictably evacuate the contents of successive filled and initially closed containers for rod-shaped smokers"" products and the like in a time-saving manner and in a fully automatic way, i.e., without the need for any or for appreciable manual intervention.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method which involves opening and expulsion of the contents of standard boxes, cartons, crates and analogous containers.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method which can be practiced without necessitating any, or any appreciable periods of monitoring, adjusting or other personnel-involving manipulation of containers for rod-shaped smokers"" products or the like.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved method of converting discrete arrays and/or other groupings of commodities into a single mass flow or another suitable accumulation of the contents of containers for rod-shaped or other types of products.
A further object of the invention is to provide a method which renders it possible to empty the contents of initially closed and filled containers at a high frequency, in a small area and by resorting to a relatively simple, compact and inexpensive but reliable and long-lasting equipment.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an automatic apparatus for the manipulation of closed and filled containers for rod-shaped smokers"" products and the like.
A further object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which can be readily installed in or combined with existing machines and/or production lines for the making and processing of cigarettes or other smokers"" products.
Another object of the invention is to provide the above outlined apparatus with novel and improved means for opening, transporting, emptying and disposing of containers for arrays of rod-shaped products or the like.
An additional object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved combination of facilities for singularizing, opening, transporting and dumping the contents of and evacuating emptied containers for commodities, especially rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus which exhibits the above-enumerated features and advantages and can be utilized for the manipulation of existing types of containers for arrays or other types of accumulations of rod-shaped or other commodities.
A further object of the invention is to provide a machine or a production line which embodies or cooperates with one or more apparatus of the above outlined character.
One feature of the present invention resides in the provision of a method of automatically manipulating closed-top filled containers (such as boxes, cartons or the like) for rod-shaped articles, e.g., for filter rod sections or other rod-shaped products of the tobacco processing industry. The improved method comprises the steps of opening the top of a container, thereupon moving the container from a first level to a second level (preferably from a lower level to a higher level), and thereupon causing the container to change its orientation from a first orientation in which the products: are located beneath the opened top to a second orientation in which the products are evacuated through the opened top by gravity flow.
The orientation changing step can include turning the container upside down, particularly inverting the container about a horizontal or substantially horizontal axis through an angle matching or close to 180xc2x0.
The method preferably further comprises the steps of causing the inverted or upturned and thus emptied container to reassume its first orientation (or an orientation close to the first orientation), and thereupon advancing the container along a predetermined paths e.g., to a refilling or to a material reprocessing station. Such method preferably comprises the step of compelling the reoriented container to retain its orientation in the course of the advancing step, i.e., during movement along the predetermined path. The reassuming step can include causing the emptied container to pivot through an angle of at least close to 180xc2x0 so that the opened cover or top is again located at or close to the upper end of the emptied container.
The containers are preferably (or can be) constructed and assembled in such a way that each thereof comprises upright sidewalls (e.g., four sidewalls) and a cover (this cover constitutes the aforementioned top) which is connected to one of the sidewalls and is pivotable between closed and open positions. The cover carries flaps which are movable relative to the cover between first positions preferably inwardly adjacent to additional sidewalls of the container in the closed position of the cover and second positions upon pivoting of the cover to its open position. The aforementioned step of opening a container of the just outlined character can include pivoting the cover from the closed to the open position, and thereupon moving the flaps relative to the cover. The flaps are or can be pivotable relative to the cover, and the step of moving the flaps can include pivoting the flaps relative to the cover through angles which at least approximate 180xc2x0.
Another feature of the invention resides in the provision of a method of automatically (as contrasted with manually) manipulating filled closed-top containers for various commodities, such as rod-shaped smokers"" products. This method comprises the steps of advancing a series of successive filled upright closed-top containers in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path (e.g., along an at least substantially horizontal path) wherein successive foremost containers are located ahead of the other containers of the series (such other containers can form a column of abutting containers), singularizing the series including moving successive foremost containers into a predetermined portion of the predetermined path, opening the tops of successive foremost containers in the predetermined portion of the path, thereupon moving successive containers from the predetermined portion of the path (such containers are still filled but their tops are open), and thereupon causing successive containers to change their orientation from a first orientation in which the products are located below the respective opened tops to a second orientation in which the products can be evacuated through the respective opened tops, preferably by gravity flow.
The moving step of the just described method can include changing the levels of successive containers, e.g., from a lower level to a higher level.
The orientation changing step can include turning the containers upside down, e.g., by pivoting them about an at least substantially horizontal axis through an angle of 180xc2x0 or close to 180xc2x0.
A further feature of the instant invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for automatically manipulating initially closed-top containers for commodities, e.g., parallel rod-shaped smokers"" products. The apparatus comprises means (such as a belt, band or chain conveyor) for advancing successive filled closed-top containers in a predetermined direction along a predetermined path, and means for opening selected (preferably successive) containers of the series in a predetermined portion of the path.
The opening means can comprise at least one suction generating device (e.g., a set of suction cups).
The containers can be of the type wherein a cover (constituting the top of the container) is pivotable relative to one of several normally upright sidewalls; the at least one suction generating device of the means for opening such containers can include means for pivoting the cover or top of the container in the predetermined portion of the path relative to the one sidewall from a closed position to an open position. The apparatus can further comprise means for temporarily holding or maintaining in open position the cover or top of the container which occupies the predetermined portion of the path. Such holding means can comprise one or more resilient members, e.g., resilient metallic members.
The covers of the containers are or can be provided with pivotable flaps which engage additional sidewalls of the respective containers prior to opening of the respective covers or tops. The flaps are disengaged from the additional sidewalls when the cover or top is pivoted from the closed to the open position, and the apparatus for manipulating such containers preferably further comprises displacing means serving to move at least one flap of the cover or top assuming the open position relative to the cover while the respective container still occupies the predetermined portion of the path. The displacing means can include means for pivoting the at least one flap relative to the respective cover or top away from the sidewalls of the container occupying the predetermined portion of the path.
The apparatus can further comprise a suitable elevator having at least one receptacle (such as a cage) movable between a first level at which it at least partially confines the open-top container occupying the predetermined portion of the path and a different second level. The second level is or can be disposed above the first level, and the apparatus can further comprise emptying means for changing the orientation of the opened (open top) container at the second level from a first orientation in which the opened container confines the products and a second orientation in which the container can dump its contents by gravity flow. Still further, such apparatus can include means for restoring the first orientation of emptied containers, and means for thereupon transporting freshly emptied containers along a second path (e.g., along a horizontal or nearly horizontal path at a level above and parallel or substantially parallel to the predetermined path). Still further, such apparatus can comprise means for preventing appreciable changes in orientation of emptied containers in the second path; such preventing means can include at least one brake, and the at least one brake can include at least one brush which frictionally engages emptied containers in the second path.
The opening means is preferably arranged to open the container occupying the predetermined portion of the predetermined path subsequent to confinement of the container in the at least one receptacle of the elevator.
The apparatus can further comprise guide means for the container which is confined in the at least one receptacle of the elevator; such guide means is operative to maintain the container which is confined in the receptacle in a predetermined position during movement of the at least one receptacle from the first level to the second level.
As already mentioned hereinbefore, the means for advancing the containers along the predetermined path can comprise a conveyor for successive containers of the series, and such advancing means can further comprise means for maintaining the containers of the series in the predetermined path and means for separating successive foremost containers from the next-following containers in a second portion of the path which is located upstream of the predetermined portion (as seen in the predetermined direction). The separating means can include suction-operated means for temporarily arresting successive next-following containers in the second portion of the path while the conveyor advances the foremost container into the predetermined portion of the path, preferably directly into the aforementioned at least one receptacle of the elevator.
The novel features which are considered as characteristic of the invention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. The improved apparatus itself, however, both as to its construction and the modes of assembling and utilizing the same, together with numerous additional important and advantageous features and attributes thereof, will be best understood upon perusal of the following detailed description of certain presently preferred specific embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.